[WATCH] Babar Azam's leg-spin woes continue as Ish Sodhi traps him LBW with a googly on Day 5 of 1st Test vs New Zealand
Pakistan captain Babar Azam failed to deliver for his side on Day 5 of the first Test against New Zealand in Karachi. Leg-spin once again brought the ace batter's downfall as Ish Sodhi trapped him lbw in the first session.
The hosts began the final day with 77/2 on the board, still trailing New Zealand by 97 runs. Kiwi off-spinner Michael Bracewell dismissed nightwatchman Nauman Ali early to give his side a decent start.
Babar walked in next, with Pakistan in a tricky situation as the pitch started turning. He looked to play positively and hit a couple of boundaries before departing against a long hop from Sodhi in the 40th over.
He also burned down a review on his way out as he asked for DRS, even though the dismissal looked plumb on first impression. You can watch the wicket-taking ball below:
@babarazam258 wicket this morning.Magical delivery of Ish Sodhi .Can Pak save this test match? @TheRealPCB
#PAKvNZ #cricket https://t.co/y3Va1pktuj
Imam-ul-Haq and Sarfaraz Ahmed stabilize things for Pakistan after Babar Azam's departure
The Men in Green looked to be in a precarious situation when they lost Babar Azam, with the scoreboard reading 100/4. Former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed walked to the crease at this juncture and played a counter-attacking knock by taking on the spinners.
He successfully disturbed the rhythm of Ish Sodhi and Ajaz Patel by resorting to conventional as well as reverse sweeps to eat into the deficit quickly. Imam-ul-Haq batted sensibly at the other end and supported him with a fluent half-century.
@ImamUlHaq12 Busy at the crease 🏏
#PAKvNZ | #TayyariKiwiHai https://t.co/WwcypCN46w
After his initial blitz, Sarfaraz calmed down and settled into a conventional Test match batting rhythm to take Pakistan towards safety in the company of Imam. After 59 overs, Pakistan reached 170/4 with Sarafraz and Imam at the crease.
Do you think Pakistan can bat out the rest of the day and avoid defeat in the first Test? Sound off in the comments section.
Also Read: "Babar Azam just cannot read spin from the hand" - Twitter reacts as Ish Sodhi bamboozles Pakistan skipper with a googly on Day 5